Janis Couvreux's Blog, page 3
March 30, 2021
Morning has Broken / Le Matin est à Nous
ENGLISH
Greetings from our current port, Buzet-sur-Baïse, about 1 hour south of Bordeaux, in the Lot-et-Garonne. Our current mood can be summarized as “two steps forward, one step back.” Since Kawabunga! was closed up for longer than expected (not having made it here as planned last year, due to Covid, of course), unexpected repairs have popped up along with the improvement projects we have underway.
However, we are progressing with a planned departure date of April 15. A little outing this past weekend proved the engine to be in ship-shape, so no worries there. The above photo has been our sunrise view from our bedroom window.
Among some of the amenities we have installed, or are installing, onboard: washing machine (cool little electric semi-automatic model), new office/computer center with compact portable printer, efficient 12v fridge/freezer, new lighting, changed configuration of main salon seating and new dining table, added shelves and hooks, working on a better shower system…no time to be bored.
Spring has sprung and the weather is quickly warming up. Our first mornings were in the chilly 30s!
Oh, and Kawabunga! is now an officially US Coast Guard registered vessel. Why, you may ask: bureaucratic mumble jumble that spice things up, right?
FRANÇAIS
Salutations depuis le port de Buzet sur Baise, dans le Lot-et-Garonne, à environ une heure au sud-Est de Bordeaux. Notre progrès dans la préparation du bateau peut se résumer à « deux pas en avant, un pas en arrière ».
Kawabunga étant resté à quai plus longtemps que prévu, des petites réparations et des améliorations étaient sinon nécessaires, du moins bienvenues.
Nous planifions donc un départ vers le 15 avril. Une première sortie ce week-end avec un couple d’amis nous a confirmé la bonne forme du moteur. Pas d’inquiétudes de ce côté-là. La photo ci-dessus a été prise depuis notre cabine au lever du soleil.
Les améliorations installées ou en cours sont, entre autres, machine à laver semi-automatique électrique, nouveau coin bureau pour les ordinateurs et imprimante, glacière/congélateur 12v de 75 litres, nouveaux éclairages et tableaux électriques, reconfiguration du carré et des douches…pas le temps de s’ennuyer !
Le Printemps a montré le bout de son nez et il fait moins froid après quelques gelées matinales.
Ah, et Kawabunga est maintenant officiellement enregistré avec les US Coast Guard, l’administration française ne nous laissant pas d’autre choix.
Morning has Broken
Greetings from our current port, Buzet-sur-Baïse, about 1 hour south of Bordeaux, in the Lot-et-Garonne. Our current mood can be summarized as “two steps forward, one step back.” Since Kawabunga! was closed up for longer than expected (not having made it here as planned last year, due to Covid, of course), unexpected repairs have popped up along with the improvement projects we have underway.
However, we are progressing with a planned departure date of April 15. A little outing this past weekend proved the engine to be in ship-shape, so no worries there. The above photo has been our sunrise view from our bedroom window.
Among some of the amenities we have installed, or are installing, onboard: washing machine (cool little electric semi-automatic model), new office/computer center with compact portable printer, efficient 12v fridge/freezer, new lighting, changed configuration of main salon seating and new dining table, added shelves and hooks, working on a better shower system…no time to be bored.
Spring has sprung and the weather is quickly warming up. Our first mornings were in the chilly 30s!
Oh, and Kawabunga! is now an officially US Coast Guard registered vessel. Why, you may ask: bureaucratic mumble jumble that spice things up, right?
March 15, 2021
Coming Out from Jet Lag Fog
We arrived in France March 9. After spending the night in Paris, rental van pickup, and despite five days of jet-lagged induced no sleep, we have been trudging on. Six suitcases. one big dog (plus his bag of stuff!), our van full of boat stuff orders that awaited us (thank you Amazon and Ikea France) stocked at my sister-in-law’s, we finally made it to Kawabunga! Friday, March 12. I missed the photo op of our arrival at the dock with all the boxes and suitcases (too tired). After two days of de-winterizing the boat (like de “moth balling”), we did a huge food shopping trip today. We are still digging out from under, and still have about another three weeks’ worth of work to finish (new installations of equipment, fine tuning some transformation work we had done…) before our planned departure from Buzet-sur-Baïse (near Bordeaux) towards Toulouse on the Canal du Midi for starters. Stay tuned et bientôt Bon Vent!
February 24, 2021
Kawabunga!: Cowabunga Reborn
BEGINNING MARCH/APRIL 2021 (Covid permitting): A new blog, Kawabunga! Follow us as I occasionally post our whereabouts, adventures, and misadventures on the canals and inland waterways of France and beyond with Sail Cowabunga!’s new soulmate, Kawabunga!
February 5, 2021
Mill Valley Rotary Club Wrap-up
Following the Sail Cowabunga! Zoom presentation to the Mill Valley Rotary Club, there was an immediate ripple effect as other Rotary Clubs are quickly lining up to schedule presentations in the very near future.
August 6, 2020
'A Decent Read Indeed" Urges Read Local® Books Review
“Recounting the journey…with authenticity and a light touch…Couvreux allows armchair adventurers and old salts alike to join her…Whether you're a landlubber or a pirate, if you want to turn the page and find yourself on another continent, grab Sail Cowabunga! and enjoy the ride.”
Check out the full review here:
May 14, 2020
Quarantine and Life at Sea: Kindred Spirits
The Argus Courier newspaper in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California, highlights and compares the author’s experience of living on a boat to the quarantine situation of Covid 19 in this article of a May 2020 issue.
January 4, 2019
Lifestyle Travel Blogger Charmed by 'Sail Cowabunga!'
“Whether you’re dreaming of faraway lands or prefer to live through the pages of a good book…The adventures are fun to read about, and they just might inspire you to take a trip of your own.”
—Savings in Seconds, a lifestyle blog
November 28, 2018
A Franco-American Story to Inspire a Multilingual Audience
A homecoming of sorts, for Sail Cowabunga! in a recent presentation to San Francisco's French Lycée Français 8th grade bilingual students. Sean and Brendan, who spent their first 10 years on Cowabunga, finished their primary schooling at the Lycée. These contemporaries learned how an infant and a toddler spent their young lives on a boat, incorporating two home cultures and languages as well as those of the countries they sailed to.
Behind the Scenes: Author Interview
A recent interview with Sail Cowabunga! author, Janis Couvreux, reveals how her profession as a journalist influences her writing, and how past adventures lure new ones.
